Thursday, March 21, 2013

Mr Hive Kitchen & Bar - MFWF Restaurant Express

Mr Hive Kitchen & Bar8 Whiteman StreetSouthbank 3006

I love the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Restaurant Express lunches. The deal is 2 courses and a glass of wine for $40. There are many participating restaurants and it is a great way to try a restaurant without a huge financial outlay.This year I only had time for one lunch so chose Mr Hive Kitchen & Bar which has been on my 'list' for awhile. It is located in the Crown Casino complex in the space previously occupied by Gordon Ramsay's Maze. Entry is via the Crown Metropol Hotel.

The restaurant decor carries through the 'bee hive' theme.

We began with delicious bread and salted butter. There were a number of wines to choose from including a sparkling. I had the Yarra Ridge Sauvignon Blanc which was lovely and crisp.

Jicama ravioli / avocado / pistachio

My friend and I decided to share an entree and dessert to try as much of the menu as possible. The two entrees on offer were Smoked Rainbow Trout, potato, cucumber, celery or Jicama ravioli, avocado, pistachio. We chose the ravioli but I have to admit we had to ask what Jicama was first!! Turns out it is root vegetable that looks like a turnip.

The salad is served cold and the ravioli is actually very thin slices of Jicama filled with the avocado mixture. It was light, fresh, different and quite tasty but it didn't overly excite me and is probably not something I would rush to order again.

Ora King Salmon / peas / asparagus

The two options for mains were "Black Angus" flat iron (300g), black miso, shitake salad served medium or Pan fried Ora King Salmon, peas, asparagus. We both chose the salmon which was divine. Beautifully cooked, with a deliciously crispy skin it was a lovely dish.

Dessert was Summer berry Eton mess or Mrs Hive's chocolate bar, peanuts, caramel. I have previously had Mr Hive's Eton Mess at Taste of Melbourne 2012 and whilst it was delicious we were very keen to try thechocolate bar.

Chocolate bar / peanuts / caramel

The chocolate bar was every bit as good as it looks though it was very rich and dense and I would struggle to finish it alone. The peanut butter ice cream was lovely and helped cut through the richness.

Our meal concluded with tea or coffee. Despite this being an express lunch we weren't rushed which was nice.